


I tease my little ashtray

by axumun



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Anal Sex, Collars, Dominant Lio Fotia, Fire play, Ice Play, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Mention of Whipping, Oral Sex, Riding, Roleplay, Temperature Play, light rp tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:42:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29076543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/axumun/pseuds/axumun
Summary: Lio doesn't feel qualified to assess if Galo's aversion to fire can be soothed by exposure therapy. Still, it feels like there's something else just beneath the surface that he hasn't grasped, something else Galo needs."Hey," Lio murmurs into Galo's ear, nails grazing his shoulders. "I put out a fire for the first time, because of you."
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 8
Kudos: 45





	I tease my little ashtray

**Author's Note:**

> The brainworms for this guy, and for "union in fire and blood" occurred at the same time. I couldn't decide which Burnish Galo to write, so I wrote......both. Yay!
> 
> Thank you so much to Lyrancon/@MoltenRainbow for the beta!!
> 
> [title](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZbyt15HuKM)

Lio's sitting at the kitchen bar, flicking a lighter. He used to hide this, worried that Galo would understandably scold him for playing with fire in their apartment. Sometimes the motion hits something raw, something he's not ready to talk about, but right now it feels safe. He feels ready to have this conversation, if it happens at all.

Galo's gotten pretty good at cooking since Lio's been around, because he gives Galo someone to cook for. (He'd already lit his first fire because of Lio, after all.) He can make a couple of simple stews and hot sandwiches, and has a couple of almost successful curry attempts under his belt for his trouble. As long as it warms his hands, Lio doesn't complain, always willing to lend constructive criticism whether it's asked for or not.

The rhythmic flicks of the lighter are loud enough to knock Galo off of his own planet, instinctively turning his head toward the interference and away from his current preparation of a baked ziti.

"Lio, what's up with the lighter?"  
Galo's not angry, like in Lio's worst case scenarios, but there's a deep concern undercutting the question.

Lio pauses. The excuse is easy, and it gives him time to think. "It's Gueira's. Gonna give it back when I see him tomorrow."

"Hm." Galo turns back around, guard dropping again. "Just be careful, okay? I know I don't need to go over basic fire safety - "

"Galo." It's a call to meet Lio's playful gaze, a challenge that Galo accepts. "I've been thinking about something."

Picking up hints is another thing Galo's improved on. He takes a quick glance inside the empty, still-preheating oven before returning his attention to Lio, taking a few sidling steps to size him up from across the counter. "If it's about the lighter, I might need some convincing. But you know I'd do anything for you."

Lio ignores the way his heart flips, staying focused on his mission despite the blaze in his eyes building. "I know it's been over a year now. But fire was always mine to control. Sometimes I want it back."

Galo nods, considerate and blank, giving the go to continue.

"I've been thinking of ways I can do that," says Lio. "Things I could do to you."

Galo swallows audibly, his eyes fluttering. Lio only wishes he could see the images churning in his dear boyfriend's brain.

"Safety is number one, of course," Lio quotes him, and Galo breathes out most of his tension. "How about it?"

Galo swishes air back and forth in his mouth, hand on his chin. He returns to the work of arranging their dinner in its oversized casserole dish. "Keep talkin', you got me curious now."

While the ziti's cooking, they talk amidst breathless kisses, Galo towering over Lio on his barstool, nipping at his ear when Lio suggests something he likes the sound of. Through dinner the focus is more procedural, practical. Through the movie afterward, it's an occasional suggestion, a sleep-slurred add-on between action scenes they've watched a million times.

∆◊∆◊∆◊∆◊∆

Everything is set out on the countertop, and Lio has the fire blanket and extinguisher within Galo's line of sight, much more for his reassurance than Lio's own. He remains confident in his abilities even with mundane fire, but he's still dating the universe's number one firefighter.

Lio's sitting in front of him, close enough for their knees to touch. Both of their shirts have been discarded - Galo's typical state of being, but Lio's a little out of his element.

"Ready?" Lio asks, and Galo gives a strong nod. His elbow resting on the counter, Galo opens his extended palm to Lio, gaze fixed on it, like his own hand is the most interesting thing he's ever seen.

Lio rolls the alcohol-soaked cotton ball along his fingertips, flicking his gaze up to Galo's face before dabbing it on the palm of Galo's patient hand. Nothing about Galo's composed posture changes, but his jaw has a rigid set that Lio doesn't miss.

"Relax, baby," Lio soothes, fingertips stroking Galo's thumb. "I've got you." Galo exhales through his nose, nodding again as the muscles in his face go slack.

Lio's movements are silent as he grabs the barbecue lighter, giving a few testing flicks in the neutral space between them, letting Galo get used to the sound. He keeps the tip a couple of inches from Galo's skin as he pulls the trigger.

The flame is only kept for a second, but Galo's fingertips twitch in the time it takes for Lio to smother it with the flat of his free hand. Galo seems grateful for the contact, fingers curling gently around Lio's palm.

The hunger that the tiny flame lights in Lio's eyes remains when their eyes meet. Lio is enraptured, stuck somewhere else, and Galo seems to find him there, too.

Lio stands up, steadies himself. "You're okay?"

"All good," Galo assures. "I'm bein' taken care of by the best little pyro I know."

Lio lays the back of his own hand across his cheek, stemming another blush. "Again?"

"One more time," Galo agrees.

Lio follows through, following identical procedure. Galo keeps himself steadier, exhaling again as Lio puts out the flame.

"Okay." Lio takes Galo's hand in both of his own, unconsciously tracing the callouses he finds there. "How'd it feel?"

The tip of Galo's tongue peeks from between his lips. "You're cute when you're looking at fire." He shakes his head slightly, eyes squeezing shut. “I mean, you’re cute all the time, but - “

Not bothering to hide his reddening face this time, Lio chides, "Enough about me, Galo. How're you feeling?"

Galo stiffens then, squeezing Lio's fingers. "Gotta be honest, this is a bit like asking a fish to climb a tree." He flashes a smirk to shake his tension. "Y'know?"

"I suppose," Lio says; he hasn't really thought of it that way. He turns back to his supplies, taking back the soaked cotton to apply to his own palm, still careful but not quite so delicate.

He hears Galo swallow beside him, feels his muscles tighten like a bowstring as the lighter ignites again, the way he hadn't allowed them to when he was their subject. Lio squashes the flame before Galo has a chance to move.

Galo inhales as the seconds tick.

"I think I could give this a shot, though."

"It's okay," says Lio, automatically. "It means a lot to me that we tri - wait, what? "

Galo just smirks at him, and Lio is drawn to his pull, closing in to perch on his lap. Galo's arms wrap around him, still firmly in a protective headspace.

"You're serious?" Lio stammers. Galo kisses the tip of his nose.

"Yeah," he breathes, "I think it might help both of us."

Lio knows what he himself has to gain from this...experiment, but Galo's motives seem a little cloudier. He doesn't feel qualified to assess if Galo's aversion to fire can be soothed by exposure therapy. Still, it feels like there's something else just beneath the surface that he hasn't grasped, something else Galo needs.

"Hey," Lio murmurs into Galo's ear, nails grazing his shoulders. "I put out a fire for the first time, because of you."

Somehow that makes Galo lose it, laughing openly a bit too close to Lio's ears. "So we're even now, yeah?"

Lio twists around so he can sit more comfortably, still mostly supported by Galo's arms, legs stretching perpendicular over Galo's thighs, almost bridal. He listens to their breathing, grasping at the pieces they're still missing.

"I miss a lot of things," he admits. "Most of what I have now, I wouldn't change for the world." He clings to Galo, arms still thrown around his neck, and Galo nuzzles at his hair in return. "But so much has changed that I guess I'm still adjusting."

Galo hums in thought. "It makes sense," he murmurs against Lio's temple. "You've had a real tough life, but you were respected by your people, too. Revered, even."

The solitude of their togetherness is tranquil, meditative. Galo's observation plucks at something in a dark corner of his psyche, memories that he's tried hard to bury suddenly surfacing. He blinks away the worst of it, but he's left with a flicker that won't burn out.

"I miss the Mad Burnish," Lio admits.

Galo's arms tighten around him. "You still have Meis and Gueira," he reasons. "They even still call you Boss!"

"I know." Something hot and vulnerable smolders behind Lio's eyes. There's no reason for this to bother him; it's illogical and silly and certainly the least of his problems. But -

"But," Galo continues, "I bet I'd make a good Mad Burnish, too."

Living with Galo has been an exercise in expecting the unexpected, but Lio couldn't have been less prepared for _that_.

"No," says Lio simply, half-hoping Galo doesn't notice the way his lips twitch upward.

"Aww, what!" Galo rocks Lio forward, playful. "I mean, I know that I'm not much of an arsonist, but - "

"That's exactly why," Lio explains, metered by a staccato giggle. "And you don't take orders super well."

"But, but - " Galo tips Lio's face upward with a single finger, meeting him for a quick kiss. "I would've protected you, if I'd known who you really were. I would've tried to protect everyone. Underneath all the flashy fires, I know that's what you guys were all about."

Lio's forming tears are making serious threats.

"And..." Galo kisses him again. Longer, sweeter. "I'd be good for you. I'd let you teach me how."

No words feel like they can offer recourse, so Lio leans in, hands starting to roam, tongues meeting. He presses all of the answers he still can't find into Galo's eager mouth, and Galo lifts him easily in his arms, laughing and stumbling on the way to their bed.

∆◊∆◊∆◊∆◊∆

It takes time; a few weeks' culmination of more talking, a few surprised tears, and not as much fire as either of them had expected.

The fire doesn't really rouse much in Lio sexually, but something about entrusting it to Galo - and Galo accepting it - reminds him of doing this not too long ago, under circumstances that couldn't have been more different. It's no longer life or death, just a symbol of his affection spilling over, a piece of himself for Galo to keep.

There's only a handful of flames later, but Lio notices how each one seems to break down one of Galo's carefully constructed defenses - and further, how all of those walls are ultimary torn down by Galo himself. He's usually clingy after, like he can't burrow in close enough - not unusual behavior for Galo. But Lio feels a sob erupt from Galo's chest as he applies the burn salve after the third time, and he can't let it slide.

Galo assures him that it's not pain, it's not regret, it's not fear. He takes a moment to think about it, his damp cheeks pressed into the hollow of Lio's collarbone, breathing slowly evening out.

The trust he gives has always been reckless and absolute. It's complete in Lio, he explains, but his wounds are long-ignored, broken bones of his faith given only bandages. Lio holds Galo's face in his hands then; his skin is torrid to the touch, protecting something crystalline, vulnerable and alive. Believing itself worthless, but priceless in truth.

Lio wants to excavate the rubble, let their hands work together to build something new from the pieces.  
  
Galo smiles up at him in the low light, finally back to himself. Lio kisses him, like gently closing a door to give him privacy, but Galo pulls him in instead, arms wrapping tight around him like he can't bear wading alone in his own head.

They learn more about each other that night than most others, and pieces of it often seem to come back. Galo comes up with a lot of the follow-ups, driving Lio's ideas forward after he puts them on the table. The talking and the playing are comfortable again, not without hitches and snags like anything else - but no pieces fall that they can't pick up together.

They slyly make a mark on their calendar, giggling like teenagers as they do so. They have safewords and safety nets and a mutual willingness to make it work.

(Lio hadn't expected Galo to jump into the safety net he'd constructed for himself, spun of fire and authority. Then again, Galo has always been notoriously difficult to pin down.)

∆◊∆◊∆◊∆◊∆

The anticipation that's been prickling in Lio's core all day is kindled by a text as soon as his shift ends. He lets his phone buzz in his pocket, savoring it, imagining the sight waiting for him at home. He quickens his pace down the street.

_Hey, are you ready?_   
_I'm all set_

Lio doesn't think he's ever been more ready for anything. He rolls his shoulders back, wondering if passersby are curious about his lingering grin. It's hard to put away, no room left in his swelling chest to hide his excitement. He types back a yes , then a good , shoving his phone away as he finds something in the distance to distract himself in his stride.

The door to the apartment is left unlocked again - Galo really needs to get better about that - but he swiftly deadbolts it behind him. If he didn't know what was waiting for him, he wouldn't think anything was out of the ordinary, but the electricity in the air betrays what awaits him.

Yet, he still has to do a double take when he crosses the threshold into the bedroom.

"Hey, hot stuff," says... _something_ that sounds like Galo's voice, wearing the skin of something more dangerous, laced with all of his usual self-assurance and coated in gasoline. If he's feeling any sort of shyness in the face of Lio's shock, he hides it well. "I've been waitin' for the leader of the Mad Burnish. Heard he's pretty cute. Know when I can see 'im?"

He's sitting on one of the stools from the kitchen, head cocked to the side, wearing a smug smirk and a leather jacket, open and baring his chest. He's got his dark jeans on, the ones he doesn't wear often but that Lio goes crazy over, just a little too tight in all the right places. Lio's gaze travels upward again, landing on the collar sitting around Galo's neck. The black leather band loops around a metal ring resting between his collarbones. _Huh. That's new._

Galo sits between the desk and the bed, on the former of which is what he's expected Galo to have ready: the lighter, alcohol, and cotton balls (as well as the fire extinguisher, tucked behind a front leg of the desk like it's trying not to intrude). He's illuminated by the desk lamp, the gray light of late afternoon fading beyond the window blinds.

So, they're really doing this. Lio breathes to find his resolve; he hadn't expected Galo to go quite this far, but it ignites something in him that they've only barely scratched so far. Definitely worth exploring.

He flashes an appreciative smirk at Galo before his face smoothes out to the tight, familiar visage of a leader.

"That would be me." Lio's voice goes dark. "So watch your tone."

" _Ooh_ , guess I heard right then." Galo's hands grip his seat as he leans forward, surveying him. His feet are kicking back and forth above the floor, still flippant, not taking Lio seriously enough for his liking.

Lio takes a few steps forward, boots clicking against the wood floor. "I wasn't aware we had a new recruit today," he purrs, meeting the dare in Galo's eyes. "So tell me, what do you have to offer me that the next pissed-off punk can't?"

Galo's expression breaks into something adorably calculating, like he's honestly trying to come up with a good enough answer. Lio wants to laugh, but holds it in, and waits.

"No fun if I just tell you, yeah?" Galo murmurs, eyes glinting with mischief. "Guess I'll just have to show you."

Lio tucks a single finger under Galo's chin and claims his mouth. Galo goes on an offense that Lio has seldom seen, all nipping teeth and coaxing tongue, hands still wisely clinging to his perch. Lio's grip against Galo's jaw tightens as he pushes deeper. Lio doesn't think he'd mind being touched right now, but seeing Galo restrain himself so readily is affecting, honing a determination to take his time unraveling the picture that's been laid out for him.

He pulls away, enjoying the sight of Galo's spit-slick reddened mouth, before taking a small step back. He starts to circle Galo, sizing him up, each clack of a footstep reverberating in the room. He really can't decide if he wants Galo to leave the jacket on or not; he's gone through such an effort to pick it out, but it's obstructing Lio's view. Galo's shoulders are set straight and low, his fingers starting to go white from the strength of their grip. The ball's in Lio's court, and he's had plenty of ideas for how this evening would go, though Galo's improvisation may have shaken up the timeline a bit.

The inspection lasts just a beat too long, just as Lio had planned. Galo's shoulders slump almost imperceptibly, and when Lio makes the rounds again to glance at his face, the smugness in his eyes has been replaced by curiosity.

Lio perches himself on the edge of the bed, putting about another arm's length between them, and pops the button on his pants. Galo's eyes fixate between Lio's legs hungrily, like he has fangs ready to bare.

"On your knees," Lio commands, voice soft but giving no quarter.

Galo stands and sinks to a kneel in two quick beats, pouting when Lio demands, "Hands behind your back," but he obeys. Lio does the work of freeing his own already-straining cock, perhaps not fast enough if Galo's impatient glare is any indication. He lifts off the bed just enough to work his pants down, and Galo jumps on the chance to kiss at the exposed skin of Lio's thighs, which Lio grumpily tolerates. He's grateful that Galo's too busy to notice the blush creeping along Lio's cheeks, lost in his ministrations like he's already got a dick in his mouth. When Lio gets his underwear down, Galo's head snaps back up and his tongue is out, eyes closed as Lio guides the back of his head.

He fists a hand against the edge of the mattress to suppress a groan at the first touch of Galo's mouth. He graciously lets Galo set the pace, and Galo seems to relish the opportunity. For a while, he takes Lio in a hard, deep rhythm that Lio doesn't expect him to keep up, before slowing to a crawl, open-mouthed kissing the head of Lio's cock with every upstroke. Galo takes him in again, and even with Galo keeping his own hands behind his back, Lio almost feels _caught_.

"Don't wear yourself out," Lio breathes, and Galo confidently hums like he's the one calling the shots, pace barely faltering. The vibration makes Lio's hips twitch upward and Galo does it again, the smug bastard, just to feel him jump. When Galo pulls off almost completely, kissing and laving rather than sucking, Lio threads a hand through his hair to ground him. When he's let back into the clutch of Galo's mouth, a whimper escapes him before he can stop it, breaths coming heavy and fast. Galo speeds up again, and the maddening wet friction is all-consuming.

He huffs as he feels Galo grinning around him. It's too soon for Galo to get this much of an upper hand; there's still plenty of time to draw this out.

"So full of yourself," Lio grits out, nails scratching against Galo's scalp, feeling him shiver. "And yet, you wouldn't last a week with me. You're far too soft." He reluctantly eases Galo's head away, gritting his teeth with the willpower it takes. Galo meets him with puppy-like eyes, playing innocent like half his face isn't slick with spit and pre-cum.

Lio stands, fluidly pushing his pants to the floor from where they've pooled at his knees, stepping out of them. Galo rocks back on his calves, eyes roaming but hands still unmoving. His gaze follows Lio as he strides to the desk and soaks a few cotton balls in the alcohol, head rolling back almost comically to watch him upside-down.

When Lio returns, cotton balls and lighter in hand, he poises himself behind Galo, dipping down to run a soothing hand up and down his back.

"Look at me," Lio says, voice gone quiet again. Galo has to twist his head around to comply, but he manages. "Light."

"Green," Galo answers, hands returning behind his back.

"Good." Lio's fingers reach out to tug at the flared collar of the jacket. "Off."

Galo complies easily, shrugging the garment from his startlingly broad shoulders, pulling at the sleeves, gathering the whole thing in a haphazard pile and tucking it onto a corner of the bed. Their opposite halves are naked now, Galo still in his jeans and boots, while Lio's down to just his fitted black T-shirt. Lio feels a little less ridiculous now, a little less naked.

Galo returns to his previous position, hands back, and it's in these quiet moments that sometimes Lio isn't positive that he's real.

"May I?" Lio asks, maybe with a little more propriety than necessary. He flicks the long lighter once; Galo doesn't flinch anymore.

He can't see Galo's face like this, but he hears a muffled chuckle.

"Anything you want, Boss," Galo says, finding footing on a narrow tightrope between sarcastic and sweet. Lio replays the sound in his head a few times, chest fluttering. "Anything you can give me."

The lighter flicks one more time, another warning. "Good. Let me see what I'm working with, then."

Galo broadens the slope of his back obediently with a slight bow of his head. If Lio turns his head just so, he can catch Galo's lingering grin, the gleam of roguishness in his eyes even as his fringe falls in his face. Lio runs soothing fingers down the planes of muscle again, fleetingly affectionate before angry nails start to scrape and prod. His touch turns kinder when Galo reflexively gasps, the pink marks fading quickly.

Lio bows again to drop a quick kiss to Galo's shoulder blade. "You're behaving well so far. Now stay still for me."

Galo breathes in to steady himself, and they both know that the third flick of the lighter is the last contactless one.

Lio dabs a cotton ball against the Galo's inner shoulder muscles, pleased at the lack of reaction he receives, for now. There's no apprehension left, no lingering doubt. Only trust, placed joyfully into Lio's willing hands, into the cold shell of the lighter.

Lio rubs one more soothing circle on Galo's opposite shoulder, feeling a small contented sigh. "Talk to me," Lio murmurs. "What do you want me to do?"

They've practiced this; Galo keeping himself scarecrow-still, focusing on just letting himself talk while Lio sets his unmarred skin ablaze. It had given Galo a way to distract himself from the last shreds of discomfort when the sounds had still startled him (and also gave him an outlet for the ancient firefighting lore that Lio usually doesn't give much audience to). Lio can tell that Galo must have prepared for this part, too.

"Wanna feel your fire," Galo purrs, and Lio's brain misfires. "Wanna feel how hot your soul burns, wanna see what you can do - "

Galo gasps as the first flame forms over his alcohol-soaked skin; Lio's pretty sure it's instinctive, not panicked. As he pats it out, he confirms, "Good?"

Galo moans, pressing into the lingering touch. _That's_ certainly new. "More, give me more," he chokes.

Lio chuckles. "Oh, that's not enough for you?" He traces light, teasing circles over Galo's skin, the opposite of what he's waiting for. Even through the boots, Lio can tell that Galo's flexing his toes, knows he finds it hard to stay completely still for too long, channeling his indomitable energy somewhere, anywhere.

The next cotton ball paints a sheen on the opposite shoulder blade, a reflection of the first touch of Lio's fire. Lio closes his eyes in the interim, imagines what he used to be able to make with his Promare. He doesn't have much use for weapons anymore, but his mind wanders to more practical, frivolous matters.

"Shame I don't have the space to whip you," Lio growls, and he hears Galo whimper helplessly. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? If I could _really_ show you what I'm capable of."

"Yes," Galo groans through gritted teeth. He seems to be clinging to power now, already so close to giving in completely just from being made to kneel and take an empty threat. "Yes, Boss."

Lio blinks away the image of Galo just like this, at the mercy of a crackling whip of fire, brilliant and sparking and burning exactly as hot as Lio chooses. This will have to do for the meantime.

"Stay still." The lighter ignites against Galo's prepared skin, and Lio measures out an extra second before he snuffs it out.

This is great and all, but it's ultimately window dressing to what they're really after. He's starting to take a distant pity on Galo's knees on the hardwood. Lio returns the lighter to the desk, throws the cotton balls away. Galo hums softly, turning up at the end like a question, but his head stays as still as the rest of him.

"Right here," Lio assures. When he returns, he presses right up against Galo's back and bends over him. His knees press on either side of Galo's spine, hands falling on Galo's shoulders, fingertips digging into the tension he carries there.

"I need to make sure you can follow my instructions," Lio murmurs, and he hears Galo swallow beneath him. "I'm going to leave the room for just a minute; I need to grab something. When I come back, I expect that you'll be naked, on your back, on the bed for me. Can you do that?"

Galo exhales, searching deep within himself. "Yeah," he rasps, quickly corrected: "Yes, Boss." He doesn't move, presumably waiting for Lio to leave, and Lio's chest tightens again. Kissing him would feel a little too tender right now, as much as a piece of him aches for it, but he can't resist bending to brush his lips against Galo's temple. Galo seems torn between shutting his eyes tight or gazing up at him (upside down, again) with wide-eyed rapture, lashes fluttering.

Lio chuckles at the slackening of Galo's reigns. As he promised, he pads out of the bedroom, allowing the charged silence to wash over him in the moment before he shuts the door.

The stroll gives him a moment to clear his head, center his intentions. He basks in the cold blast of air from the freezer as he grabs the ice cube tray. It seems excessive to bring the whole thing, but the touch of ice against his bare skin still pokes at some long-submerged ugliness that he's not ready to face alone.

Excessive may it be, Lio hauls along the whole tray. He pauses outside the bedroom door, giving Galo a moment longer to finish up, until the rustling stops. Lio drinks in the silence for a few beats, then opens the door.

Galo has followed his order to the letter, save for the collar, still laying warm and barely-snug against his skin. Lio takes in the sight of him; splayed out, arms above his head, legs only a hips' breadth apart, his cock assuredly untouched but still standing at near full attention. His face is rapt and no one's even touched him, eyes half-lidded and lips gently parted.

"Very nice," says Lio, to all of it, divesting himself of his own shirt as he approaches the bed. There's a haphazard trail in his wake, made up of both of their discarded clothes. "Looks like you can listen, after all."

Galo beams, eyes focusing again. If Lio strains, he can still see an ember of Galo's earlier cockiness, but it's getting lost in the tides of his natural eagerness to please. Lio doesn't want to be rid of _all_ of it, though, so he tries to stoke the fire again.

He knows Galo doesn't miss what he's holding; they've tried this a couple times, once with each of them at the helm. They have almost as much to learn from ice as they do from fire, but Lio is the one doing the teaching tonight. He twists the tray at opposite corners, and the cubes break apart. The cracking sound startles a twitch out of Galo, and his face straightens again.

"I hope you can keep it up," Lio challenges, injecting the same danger into his voice that Galo had displayed to him earlier. He sets the tray on the desk and pulls a single cube from its slot, holding it up a bit in the light, letting Galo get a decent look. His own fingertips prickle at the cold, but he ignores it.

Lio mounts the bed on his knees, pushing Galo's legs apart roughly with the backs of his hands. They fall easily.

"Light," Lio checks again.

Galo's fingers flex against symbolic restraints. "Green," he breathes.

"Excellent." Lio places the ice cube about an inch below Galo's navel, momentarily marvelling at the stupidly toned planes of his abdomen. "What do you think I want from you, now?"

Galo swallows, then hums considerately. "I'm not supposed to come until it melts," he guesses, finding enough strength for his words to ride that razor's-edge again. "Right?"

"Close," Lio sings. "If you're patient while it melts, I'll let you fuck me. And then you can touch me however you want."

Galo's eyes flare, putting all of his concentration into lying back and waiting in a way he rarely does. His jaw is set in a rigid line of determination, an easy smirk still stuck on his lips.

"Ah," Galo pants. "So that's all? My soul just has to burn through this ice, and then you're all mine?" He flashes his teeth, maybe a little too upbeat for his precarious situation.

Lio can't wait to wreck him.

"Don't get cocky," Lio reiterates, but Galo's face doesn't change. "I'm not nearly this generous with all of the other rookies."

"Hope not," Galo says, "or else everybody could have - _ahh!_ " Lio takes Galo's momentary distraction to lick a stripe up the underside of his cock, a small recompense for earlier. Galo squirms a little, breathing quickening, but keeps his hips in check.

Lio grins, nails raking trails up Galo's thighs on either side of him, just to acclimate him to the touch. "That's right," he purrs. "It's not so special if everyone can do it, huh?" Lio kisses up Galo's shaft, fingers wrapping around tightening leg muscles, and Galo pants beneath him. "I have to admit, I'm starting to take a liking to you. It'd be a shame if you failed now."

Galo whimpers through clenched teeth, apparently wounded at the mere prospect of not succeeding. Lio hums as he sucks a quick mark into the inside of Galo's thigh. This'll be over too quick if Lio blows him, he knows. The ice is just starting to melt enough to shift around a bit in its own slick puddle, showing signs of progress but nowhere close to done.

Lio has time to play.

He wraps slim fingers just barely around Galo's cock - stroking enough to keep Galo hard but not really sufficient to jerk him off - as he bites down on Galo's other thigh, deeper this time, long enough that he knows there'll be a bruise there in the morning. He licks over the forming mark, giving Galo's cock a single tight stroke, revelling in the moan that seems to take effort to bite back.

"You don't have to be quiet," Lio offers, "if you can keep your hands to yourself."

Galo groans, just a hint of frustration in it. Lio can see from where he's working that Galo's hands are fisted in his pillow, scrabbling when Lio moves just right, bites down just hard enough. The toned muscles of Galo’s thighs are starting to quiver under the melting ice, oversensitive under Lio’s careful study. Lio doesn't dare close his eyes, can't bear to miss a single one of Galo's reactions.

When Galo's thighs and cock have been paid enough attention for Lio's liking, he inches his way up, crawling to Galo's side so as not to disturb the ice. It's still surely fading away, too slowly to watch but fast enough to serve as a reliable measurement of time.

He attends to a nipple next, nails skirting the jut of Galo's ribs before feeling the curves and valleys of his sleek abdominal muscles. Galo is an impossible contradiction of sturdy density and soft give, strong enough to sunder a collapsed roof but pillowy enough to sleep on top of. Of course, Lio isn't supposed to be aware of these things right now, but he's getting so worked up that it's getting difficult to treat Galo's body like a stranger's.

Lio reaches back down for the ice, holding his breath against its menacing touch, dragging it across the expanse of Galo's abs. Galo's breath hitches underneath him as Lio's nails drag across his skin, skirting across the opposite nipple to the one in Lio's mouth. Lio bites down, tongue soothing over the bud as Galo whines.

The ice is about halfway to disintegration when Lio trails it back down to its original position, the process hurried by the addition of Lio's heat. He considers his next move, sitting back on his haunches and letting Galo wonder what he's up to.

In one calculated move, Lio straddles Galo's waist, settling a few inches up from the puddle ever forming on Galo's stomach. From here, he can reach the nightstand drawer. Galo watches hungrily as Lio grabs for the lube, the blaze in his eyes starting to roar again.

Galo doesn't have the best view of Lio preparing himself, but Lio's face is on full display, every flutter of his eyelashes and slack of his jaw, every hitch of his breath that he tries to mute. Lio's cock is unobstructed too, flushing and hardening to full attention.

"Could've had me do this," Galo says, voice wrecked but hopeful, "if you want me to prove myself so bad." His eyes are bright and eager, but still too calm for Lio’s liking.

Lio _tsks_. "You've already got a job to do." He spreads himself wide on his own fingers, alternating between scissoring and thrusting. "Don't let it go to your head, but you're dealing with what you've been given just fine."

"Good enough to get off early - " Galo whimpers as Lio thrusts his hips down, becoming helpless, " - for good behavior?"

"Nope," Lio says simply, but he's losing too much of his cool too soon. He can't see the ice from here, he realizes; he probably should have thought that through. Maybe he's the one who's gone soft.

"Hands off," Lio reminds a little more desperately, not allowing himself to see Galo's momentary confusion before he flips himself around, still mounting the same perch on Galo's waist. Galo sighs happily, probably enjoying his new view, but Lio's focus is on the ice. It's just about gone now, just a kernel in a pool of cool water dripping down around Galo's hips.

"Huh," Lio breathes, but it sounds more like a moan. "Guess you made it after all."

Lio's only given warning is a quick, practiced stroke of Galo's cock, slicking him up, before practically hopping right on. He snickers as Galo cries out, hips quivering but still not bucking. Galo clearly remembers the other half of the bargain, though, and sits himself up, arms wrapping gratefully around Lio's front. He's just holding Lio, not even teasing, elated just to touch him. He's panting in Lio's ear, kissing along the back of his neck, up to the weak spot behind his ear. _Cheater._

"Always this clingy?" Lio gasps, steadying into a decent pace after a few torturous, experimental thrusts.  
  
Galo's first answer is only a moan. Then, with more breath than voice, "For you, for you..."

"Hm," Lio hums. "I suppose I've put you through a lot. But I'm still not convinced." He reaches a hand behind him to snatch at the back of Galo's collar, tugging once, enough to knock all of the wind out of Galo and make his thighs tremble underneath him.

"Should've gotten a leash with this," Lio bites, and Galo holds him tighter. "Should've cuffed you, held you down. Made you mine, kept you all to myself."

Galo gasps, but his fingers find one of Lio's nipples, rolling it lightly between his fingers and straightening himself up as Lio falters. "Are you all talk," he pants, "or are you ever gonna follow through?"

Lio growls, lifting himself all the way up and slamming his hips back down, twisting cruelly as he bottoms out. "Lio!" Galo calls, but Lio just does it again, hands grasping roughly at Galo's hips, singularly focused.

"Given you so much already," says Lio, as Galo returns to kissing and mouthing at the back of his neck. "What more could you - _hah_ \- possibly want?"

"Wanna kiss you," Galo says immediately, and Lio has no clue which Galo is speaking anymore, if he's still wearing his character or stripped fully bare to reveal only himself. It doesn't really matter though; Lio knows how they can both get what they want.

Lio pulls off completely, and the noise Galo makes is positively mournful, but he doesn't give him long to wallow; he flips himself around again, and Galo catches him easily, all flailing limbs and crashing mouths. Lio mounts Galo's cock again, mostly blind, as Galo licks into his mouth and their teeth clack together.

"It won't be easy," says Lio, "being with me, being one of us.” His rhythm is falling off-beat, stuttering as the sparks blooming in his core fight for his full attention. “You need to understand - _hnnn_ \- what you'd be giving up."

Lio almost thinks that Galo is too far gone to talk back anymore, but he still finds a reserve in that endless store of energy to moan out, "I know, Boss, I know," then with a quick bite to Lio's shoulder, "whatever it takes, I want you."

Again, Lio lifts almost all the way up, and holds himself there. Galo's hands twitch against Lio's hips but he doesn't pull, doesn't thrust, just keens until Lio paws at the collar again, from the front this time.

"Words," Lio implores him, breathlessly, "use your words. Ask me nicely."

Galo sure tries, poor thing, amidst all of his gasps, gritting out a "Please," followed by another, "please, please," finally spilling out, "Lio, baby, please ride me..."

Lio grins. It's really all Galo now, _his_ Galo.

"That's better," Lio pants, finally, graciously sinking back down. Galo cries out again, grateful. "Love hearing you like this. _Like...mmm,_ like I'm the only one that can make you feel this good."

"You are!" Galo insists, and he rocks up a little, testing his luck, but Lio's too far gone to deny him. Lio's sure that Galo's going to come first, letting out a low, insistent whimper with every thrust, but the pleasure inside of Lio suddenly sparks and builds and in a blinding flash of white, he's coming between them.

He comes down to find Galo gently stroking him through it, but his whole body is quivering now, between the exertion and desperately holding himself back.

"Galo," Lio murmurs, dipping his fingers between the front of the collar and Galo's thundering pulse. "Go ahead, come for me."

Galo falls until his back hits the bed, pulling Lio with him, shuddering and moaning as he fills him up. Galo strokes his back through it, while Lio grits his teeth through the overstimulation, only pulling off as he feels Galo soften inside of him. He collapses into the mess they've made, unwilling to do much about it until the feeling in his limbs returns.

"Galo," Lio murmurs, concern reloading his logical brain. "Galo, talk to me."

"Hah," Galo breathes, and Lio watches his face carefully. It's still hazy, but there's a smile creeping there. Lio lets a wave of relief soothe him as he waits for Galo to meet him somewhere in the middle of the shallow.

Lio reaches up to unfasten the collar, and Galo hums as Lio gently kneads at the skin there. "C'mon," Lio urges, "gotta clean up. Lemme patch you up, then you can sleep all you want. Okay?"

Galo lifts a hand to stroke his thumb over Lio's face; Lio doesn't think his own flush can get any worse, though. "You're so pretty," Galo finally says, and Lio gathers him up in his arms, hiding his face in Galo's shoulder.

"C'n we shower," Galo asks, a little sleepy but still present.

"Gonna have to," Lio chuckles. "C'mere, big guy, lemme take care of you."

∆◊∆◊∆◊∆◊∆

“Really” Lio says, over the din of the running water, his fingers scrubbing their shampoo over Galo’s scalp. “You know we didn’t always dress like that, right?”

“Coulda fooled me,” Galo answers sheepishly. Lio kind of wishes he could see Galo’s expression from behind the curtain of his soaked hair, but Lio gives him space. “Only time I saw you, when you were Burnish. And you looked _good._ ”

Lio chuckles. “If you’d given me more warning, we could’ve matched.”

Galo slumps just a little, from where he’s already bending so Lio can reach his head. “I should’ve told you,” Galo admits. “I was just so excited.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Lio soothes. “They’re just clothes. We didn’t do anything that we haven’t done before. Just...in a new order.” He stares at the bottom of the tub for a moment, clearing his head with the image of the water swirling down the drain. “And with a collar.”

“Did you like it?” Galo perks up, peeking up from beyond his lashes. “I was kinda nervous about it, but it was pretty hot - “

“Yeah,” says Lio, scritching at the back of his neck. “I liked all of it.”

When they’re done, Lio assesses the burns, just barely turning pink, only a little sensitive. Lio puts on the salve, patient in the face of Galo’s unusual silence.

“It was fun,” Galo finally says, “but let’s not do it like that again. I like being me. I like, just...us.”

“Okay.” Lio kisses up his spine, squeezing Galo’s fingers with his free hand. "I understand that."

“But I still meant everything I said,” Galo insists.

Lio presses his forehead to the middle of Galo’s back, world narrowing enough to feel Galo’s heartbeat against it. “Me too.”

As he’d promised, Lio pulls Galo tight against his chest and pulls the covers over them, after he’s properly dealt with their supplies. Galo’s too sleepy to cling like usual, going boneless with exhaustion, already close to unconsciousness by the time his head hits the pillow but still trying to fight it.

He squirms in Lio’s hold, rotating in the circle of Lio’s arms, touching their foreheads together as if by magnetic force. “I love you,” Galo slurs sleepily, then again, “love you, love you,” like he’s making up for not saying it since Lio’s been home.

“You sap,” Lio rumbles, but he answers in kind, “I love you, too. Go to sleep now, okay? You need it.”

Galo hums. Moments later, he’s totally out. Lio follows him slowly, like wading through fog.

The fall he takes into sleep is broken by a dreamlike ruin of stone. He stares at it, squinting in the light, finding that there’s a structure in the rubble that looks newer - makeshift and bare-bones, but a promising work in progress. Lio smiles at it, adding another stone, before his mind becomes blissfully, dreamlessly blank.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm [on twitter](https://twitter.com/jadebrace1) and I don't bite too hard <3


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